BJC Medical Center may have found the white knight to rescue it from its financial difficulties. The Commerce-based facility announced Tuesday that it has entered a letter of intent with Restoration Healthcare, a Tennessee-based operator of hospitals, that could lead to the sale of BJC Medical Center.

A news release issued Tuesday said Restoration Healthcare has held preliminary meetings with local physicians who have expressed interest in developing a joint venture at BJC.

The news release quoted Steve Clapp, president of Restoration Healthcare, as saying, “We, in partnership with the outstanding physicians, will work hard to make BJC the hospital and nursing home of choice for citizens in Banks, Jackson, and surrounding counties.”

Restoration Healthcare operates each of its hospital locally in a joint venture with local and regional physicians, according to the news release.

The letter of intent is nonbinding. It opens the way for Restoration Healthcare to begin its “due diligence” review of the hospital and nursing home, and the parties will also begin negotiating a formal definitive and binding agreement covering the details of the transaction.
For more details on this story, see the June 24 issue of The Jackson Herald.

I hope they do buy BJC that way all of you that have been saying Jackson County shouldn't spend your tax dollars to keep it open can rest easy to know it will stay open WITHOUT your help? But these same people who are saying close it because they will go to Athens or Gainesville BUT if they keep it open these same people will go use it?This company already have money and if BJC don't make them money then you may get your wish because they will close it?
Look at it like this:
*If they close BJC how many jobs will be lost?
*If they keep it open look at how many people will be working? I thought that during these hard times when jobs are so few I think it's a good thing?
And to all the RN's who are saying close the hospital?If you don't want to work there no more QUIT. I'm sure if you don't want to do your job somebody out there does? Nobody is making you work there? Right now alot of people would do your job for less money so shut up your belly aching if you don't like it quit then you will see how hard it is to get a job? After 6 months of looking for a job you would regret you quit.

Michael McCarthy You are right about one thing Hospitals may not be a job program and who said anything about "welfare"? You say you don't think a non-nurse could do the job? Have you ever heard of training them? Are you living in the Middle ages?? Nurses may not be able to find work any day of the week as you claim because in this recession alot of people know how hard it is to find a job and they don't quit so if there is no jobs to be had WHERE they going to get a job?????

FJCR: Nurses go to school (beyond high school) at least two years. There is a waiting line at most nursing schools. Nurses are smart, highly trained professionals. You can't simply take any well-meaning person and "train" them to be a nurse. (If you could you really would be in the middle-ages, or at least the 19th century) Nurses make life or death decisions every day. Today's nurses know more than doctors of history.

As far as finding a job, the government can't plan your life or your career. "Education is the currency of the 21st century."- Barak Obama, June, 2009. Plan for your future. Get your GED if you didn't make high school. Go to college or technical school. (the government will pay for this.) If you can't get educated then let this be a lesson for future generations, you will not do well. You will work hard and make little money and you will be the first to go during a recession. And if this is you, you have my pity. This is reality for many right now. It's a good time to go back to school. The fall semester starts in two months. Stop whining about keeping crappy hospitals open so you can be employed. You should be embarrased, not crying for handouts. Where is your American spirit? Get going!

Michael McCarthy in your last line of the post you madr before #2.1 You say nurses can find a job any day of the week even in this recession then in your post #2.1.1.1 you talk about how there is a waiting line at nursing schools? Nurses have to go back to school ever so often to learn the new changes in the medical field.Would you want to hire someone older that wants more money or someone young fresh out of nursing school that will do the job for alot less money?
This is a recession and everyone is trying to cut cost?

Your argument is of no consequence. Healthcare is losing more nurses than it can replace at a time when the baby boomers are aging rapidly and needing more healthcare. There is not a huge difference in the pay between a new nurse and an old nurse.

My point was you can't train just anyone to do the job. The successful nursing student candidate is head and shoulders above his/her peers. You can rarely turn a janitor into a nurse.

But if you want to round up some chicken farm workers and put them in nursing school, good luck with that. It's a bit more complicated than that.

no your argument makes no sense? Ok if they close the medical centers that people don't think they need. Then where are these few nurses that make it through medical school going to work.I'm not saying keep it open as a job program but these nurses that are going to school need somewhere to work?
But to be serious let me ask you a serious question.How would you like to go to nursing school for a couple of years and graduate in the top 10% of your class and after all that schooling you get out and they have closed most of the medical centers down.Then how you going to feel? Knowing you trained to be a nurse and you have no other skills but to be a nurse but there is no where to work and you have to go to work at WalMart or McDonalds for $6.50 per hour?

Oh so what happen to all those Educated people that have lost their jobs during this recession? Did they just quit because they didn't want to work? I got a news flash for you all these companys that have closed in the past year did all these companys only have uneducated people working for them?
You want to question my Education? Well I have 2 college degrees and I have alot more common sense than you do.What about you?

I said they "do better" in a recession. I didn't say they are immune to a recession. But I'm glad you have an education. Everyone needs one.

Education is the currency of the 21st century - Barack Obama, June 2009.

My point here is to encourage education. Not to demean anyone. Too many people are looking to a Messiah to give them a job. That won't work in the 21st century. Most of the unemployed are uneducated. It's simply a fact.

Well Michael you didn't make it sound that way? You made it sound like you were calling me an uneducated redneck hick? I will be the first to admit Yes I am a redneck and yes I am a hick from TN but uneducated? NO I gots me one of them.

You tell them anon now we hear from a nurse who is unemployed? But as Michael McCarthy says trained nurses are not unemployed so you must have a job you just don't know it? He says a trained nurse can get a job anywhere I guess you are the proof his thinking is wrong????????????

No just because it says something do you believe it? They have to look over your applictaion and consider you and if they don't like the way you look,smell,or for any reason at all they don't have to hire you? You may have job Security Driving a poop truck? Only because nobody wants your job? But News flash: A recession afftects all jobs the higher trained you are the harder to find a job in your field? And have you ever thought of HOW many different nursing positions there are and if you have 15 nurses going for 1 job they have a choice and after they hire the 1 what about the other 14?

Michael This story has gotten old so you and BJC can do whatever yall want because I don't care no more.I DON'T CARE. I DON'T CARE. I DON'T CARE. I DON'T CARE. I DON'T CARE.. Guess what ? I DON"T CARE..

But Mr.Michael McCarthy since you think you are so good with facts and figures Ok you said that hospitals are not job programs Ok you got your pencil and paper here comes the math lesson. How many people work at BJC? And if they close it then how many people are going to be out of a job? I know you ain't no good at word problems? I'll help you out just find out how many work at BJC and that's how many will be without jobs.
That being said Is that good in a recession to have that many more people out of work? These shouldn't be hard for you Mr.Facts and Figures

FJCR: Let's assume people work there. If BJC goes under the patients will need to be transferred. In other words, I suppose the jobs would be where the patients' new home would be. If these folks are found worthy, then they'll have jobs at the new place.

This is referred to as the free-enterprise system. Socialism has been tried in the "former" Soviet Union. I know you don't want to try to defend that system do you?

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